A Precision Radial Velocity Pathfinder Instrument in the H Band with a Laser Frequency Comb
Abstract
We describe changes to the warm-bench, fiber-fed, Penn State Pathfinder instrument that enabled us to test the ability to recover precision radial velocities in the H-band. The use of thermal blocking filters that cut off at 1.7 microns allows us to observe in the H-band by blocking the overwhelming thermal flux beyond 2 microns. A PK-50 window provides further suppression of this thermal flux. We also describe the observations, reduction, and results from an August 2010 test run of this instrument with a 25 GHz NIST laser frequency comb calibration system. We obtained radial velocities of several bright stars with on-sky observation with the laser comb. Our results demonstrate the potential of our testbed configuration for obtaining precision radial velocities in the NIR, as well as the utility of laser frequency combs as wavelength calibrators in this wavelength regime.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #217
- Pub Date:
- January 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011AAS...21725309T